BTN.com staff, September 3, 2015

VT-OSU HONOR WDBJ
Virginia Tech Athletics

BLACKSBURG - The Ohio State football team will join Virginia Tech in honoring the memory of two local television journalists who were tragically killed in a shooting on Aug. 26. The Buckeyes asked for permission to wear the same helmet stickers as the Hokies on Labor Day night, and that request was quickly granted. A 30-second moment of remembrance for both victims will be observed prior to the national anthem on Monday.

?Ohio State expressed a desire to show its solidarity with Virginia Tech in remembering the vibrant lives of Alison Parker and Adam Ward,? Tech Director of Athletics Whit Babcock said. ?Coach Beamer and I both agreed it was a wonderful gesture on the part of Gene Smith (Ohio State AD), Urban Meyer (head coach) and the Buckeyes. We hope fans of both teams join us in hopefully providing some solace to the friends, families and co-workers who continue to miss Alison and Adam.

Parker and Ward were doing a live broadcast for Roanoke, Virginia?s CBS affiliate, WDBJ-7, last week at Smith Mountain Lake, a little more than an hour from Tech?s campus, when they were killed.

The Tech athletics department announced Sunday that the Hokie players will wear a helmet sticker that features the No. 7 and teal and maroon ribbons, along with the initials of both victims. Teal was Parker?s favorite color, while the maroon ribbon represents Ward, who graduated from Virginia Tech in 2011.

The athletics department honored the victims at this past weekend?s sporting events. A moment of silence was held at the volleyball and men?s and women?s soccer matches, and teal and maroon ribbons were handed out to fans at Tech athletics events throughout the weekend.

Scholarships have been established through both victims? alma maters. Parker is a Martinsville High School graduate, a 2010 graduate of Patrick Henry Community College in Martinsville, Virginia, and a 2012 graduate James Madison University. Ward graduated from nearby Salem High School in Salem, Virginia, in 2007 before enrolling at Tech and earning his degree in communication.

For more information about the scholarships and how to contribute, please check out this webpage: http://www.wdbj7.com/news/local/scholarship-information-for-wdbj7s-alison-parker-and-adam-ward/34935146.